Respiratory protection

Respiratory protection uses equipment or workplace controls to reduce inhalation of hazardous airborne substances, including particles, gases, and vapors.

Air-purifying respirator: A respirator that removes contaminants from ambient air using filters, cartridges, or canisters. Its filter or sorbent must match the airborne hazard and cannot supply oxygen.
Respiratory protection program: A managed workplace system for selecting, using, maintaining, and evaluating respirators. It turns individual equipment into a controlled and documented safety practice.
Particulate respirator: A respirator designed to filter airborne particles rather than gases or vapors. Particle filters do not provide general protection from gases and vapors.
Occupational asthma: Asthma caused or worsened by exposures encountered in the workplace. Inhaled sensitizers can cause disease even when symptoms develop after repeated exposure.
Supplied-air respirator: A respirator that delivers breathable air from a source separate from the surrounding atmosphere. It protects where ambient air is unsafe to filter or lacks sufficient oxygen.
Hierarchy of controls: A framework that ranks hazard controls from elimination and substitution to personal protective equipment. Respirators are generally used after stronger source and engineering controls are considered.
Gas mask: A tight-fitting facepiece with filters or canisters intended to remove specified toxic gases or vapors. Its sorbents address selected chemicals, unlike particle-only filters.
Silicosis: A progressive lung disease caused by inhaling respirable crystalline silica particles. Effective dust control and suitable respiratory protection reduce silica inhalation risk.
Respirator fit testing: A qualitative or quantitative test that checks how well a tight-fitting respirator seals to its wearer. A poor face seal lets contaminated air bypass the respirator.
Occupational exposure limit: A regulatory or advisory airborne concentration limit intended to protect workers from a specific exposure. Exposure measurements help decide whether respirators are needed and what protection level is required.

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